Quickchange Artist: BluePearls Bluetooth Headset

Proof positive that only women can use this device: you need nails. And I don’t mean the metal kind. I mean those things growing out of the end of your fingers. Sorry guys, you just don’t have the proper equipment! BluePearl is being marketed to women (although I have to admit they don’t mention nails). It’s light weight and savvy fashion sense are among the features noted. The BP7g is so light at 7.9 grams that I honestly forget it’s in my ear. My standard test is to spend at least an entire day with a headset installed in my ear to get a good sense of comfort and ease of use. The BluePearl gets an A+ on this test. And the package supplies you with three “Silver Nano” ear plugs in different sizes (small, medium, large). The very soft material is anti-bacterial and very easy to place on the headset.

So why would one need nails? To replace the colorful FacePlates! The set comes with nine – although I seem to have ten. Maybe I’m special? And in order to remove a faceplate you need to pull on the end of the cover with your nail. I have to admit, I’m no fashion plate, but it’s fun to play with one’s toys. It’s like having a Barbie doll. I like changing my toy’s “clothing”. Anyway, it’s classy to have a device that can match one’s clothes. Especially if you are a professional woman and have to “dress for success”. The BluePearl really is quite attractive.

Ok, so we know it’s cool looking, but how does it work as a headset??? I have to say I’m very happy with it. In fact, I’d say the guys will be jealous. They may start growing their nails!

The Techy Part of the Review

This headset has several really clever features that would be appreciated by everyone, not just women. One I really like is the “PowerBank”. Like all headsets the BP7g has a rechargeable battery. However, the PowerBank also has a battery! Snap the headset in it’s PowerBank and plug in the AC wall unit. BOTH the PowerBank and the headset get recharged. When the headset unit is charging the indicator light on the PowerBank is blue. When the headset is full the PowerBank charges and the indicator light turns green. When both batteries are full the light goes off. There’s about a two hour charging time. Now, here’s the part that’s clever. Take both the PowerBank and the headset with you when you travel around during your Very Important Day. The PowerBank comes with a beltclip and a neck strap. Use whichever works best for your outfit. Unclip the headset for use throughout the day. When the headset is not being used, snap it back into the Powerbank and guess what? It gets recharged from the PowerBank!! No running out of juice and you don’t have to lug around a big AC plug. There’s about 15-18 hours of talk time. Tell me that isn’t cool!

Turning on and Pairing

So, after I received this in the mail and ripped it out of the package, I plugged it in to juice it up. Now it was time to turn it on and get it ready to say hello to my phone. I pushed the main button and held it until the indicator lights flashed red and blue. In my Samsung a920 phone I accessed the menu “Tools/Bluetooth/Add” then “New/Search” so it would find the BluePearl device. That only took a few seconds. I typed in the code and Voila, it was paired with the phone. Simple.

It was time to make a call. In fact I made three calls in a row and all four people (the last call had two people on extentions) let me know I sounded clear and understandable. Everyone I spoke to sounded clear to me. In fact, after several days of using the headset I noticed that I wasn’t getting dropped calls with a person I call fairly regularly with the Samsung a920. Normally, there’s constant dropping with that particular number. Using this headset was making my calls more pleasant. AND clearer!

I’d give the BluePearl an A+ for clarity and ease of use.

It took me a few tries to learn the tones that indicated when the headset is ON or OFF, but once you figure it out, no sweat. Turn on: hold until you hear 2 slow tones – low to higher tone – (the headset will start it’s slow flashing blue light indicating it’s ON). The “connected-to-bluetooth” indicator on my phone didn’t light, however, after clicking the headset button again and hearing two fast tones, the connection indicator did turn on and the phone asked for a voice command. Other phones may work differntly, but my impression is that it really doesn’t matter if the phone’s BlueTooth indicator icon is on, the headset will make a call when you initiate one.

To turn off: hold the headset button until you hear a high (pause) then a lower tone. This is tricky because when you click the headset button you first hear two quick tones. it’s only because you HOLD the button down that the two slow tones initiate and that turns off the headset. If this explaination seems confusing, trust me, once you actually use the headset it will all seem very simple.

Another feature I like is being able to transfer the call to the headset after the call has been answered from the phone. When you want to switch a call to the headset, it’s an easy process. Just place the headset in your ear and hold the button down until you hear the tones and then check that your “callie” can hear you. To make sure the transfer has occurred, I generally warn my call I’m switching. It process works seamlessly and easily.

A great deal of thought has gone into this device – not just the electronics of it, but the whole package. It’s convenient, classy, and very clever. I likie!

If you want to decorate your computer to match your headset, look up the wallpapers available.

A talented and Emmy-winning digital special effects technician by trade, Cecilia has also made her mark over the years as a writer in video editing magazines. Her CV includes HBO’s "From the Earth to the Moon" and SciFi Channel’s "Frank Herbert's Dune" and "Children of Dune". The most recent Visual Effects work was done for an online film: "Eye of the Bennu". This project was notable for being the first film made entirely by people only communicating over the Internet. No one has ever actually met in person. A virtual film made by virtual people. Cecilia is currently making props for a short film project about a violent monk. Hmm.